. >> shortly after the news of nelson mandela's death reached the white house, president obama said this. >> i am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from nelson mandela's life. my very first political action, the first thing i ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics was a protest against apartheid. i would study his words and his writings. the day he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they are guided by their hopes and not by their fears. we will not likely see the likes of nelson mandela again. so it falls to us, as best we can, to forward the example that he set to make decisions not guided by hate but by love. never discount the difference that one person can make, to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice. for now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that nelson mandela lived. a man who took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice. >> joining us now, a professor from columbia university and joy reid, managing editor and eugene robinson, i'd like to stop with y